Improvement in coffins



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. LYMAN, 0F IAST ll'AMP'lON, AND ALFRED E. LYMAN, OF \Vll,lili-\MSllllRG, MASSA-MillSE'ITS.

IMPROVEMENT iN COFFINS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 35,l02, dated April 29, i862.

State of Massachuset ts, and ALFRED E. Lv-v MAN, of Williamsburg, county ot' llampsllire, and Sta-te aforesaid, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in the )lode otf Construction and Finish ot' \Vood Cofiins; and we do hereby declare that the following is a ifull, clear, and exact description ol' the same, ret'- erence being had to the aeeompan ying drawings, which torni part ot this specilication, in whichlliigurel is a side elevation with part in section. lfig. 2 shows the lid inverted. Fig. El shows the case with the lid removed. Fig. -l is a cross-section oi. the whole.

This invention. relates to a new and improved mode ot' construction and iinish ot wood cottns, whereby an article is produced combiningl with the cheapness ot wood the strength, efficiency, and impermeability el,

iron and the durability of stone.

To enable others to make. and use our invention, we will proceed to the description thereof.

Referring 1 o the drawings'annexeilnvherein the marks of reference correspond in all the iigures, A A are'the sides of the cotlin. l! is the bottom, and (j is the top or lid.

Our improved coltln is constructed in any shape or manner ot' which wood is susceptible.

" It is strengthened bv a series ot' vertical and lateral braces, l) E l", iixed to the bottom l5, sides A, and lid C, and also by a corresponding series ot' knees, l 2 and l l. The former should form part ot the vertical braces D on the sides and the lateral braces 'F on the bottom, and the latter, l l, 'form part of the lateral braces E on the lid. The outer edge oi the knees l are grooved, so as to tit down on the vertical braces l), which have a crosssection of a V form in order to be adapted to said groove, and are also cut down to a shoulder, (i, which receives and sustains the end of said knee or knees. 'e sometimes form lips on the upper outer corners ot' the knees to reacllover and set down on the top of the vertical braces, so as to prevent any tendency of the sides to spread apart. lith the construction and arrangement of the several braces as above set torth, the Whole Weight to be sustained by the coliin-lid is received on the lateral braces and transferred through the knees to the vertical braces .D on th esides.

lhe several devices thus furnish a means of resistance and strength adequate to sus tain anyload that the lid may be required to support.

Over cach seam or joint we torni grooved recesses 4 l. These recesses we lill with any plastic. cement that will become hardened and prevent the ingress of air or water at the seams. To cause the cement to be securely retained, the recesses have a larger capacity or area than the width ol` the aperture leading` into them. \Vhen the cement is suiiiciently hardened, we lay on a thick coating of a compound consisting ot four parts shell-ac and two parts india-rubber dissolved in naphthat or any suitable menstruum. le then embed in this compound an outer coating of sand, emery, pulverized quartz, or any like granulated or commiuuted substance of lnetallic or silical nature. \Vhen the compound is hardened, the same process is repeat-ed until the required thickness ot' the stony or metallic covering is attained. The dissolved gum or its ei'iuivzllent renders the coilin entirely impermeable, and the granulated n1atin-ialaloresaid imparts a uniform and hamlsome finish, all'ords a protection to the said impermeable coating, and `greatly enhances the durability of the whole, rivaling, if not surpassing, that of iron or stone.

On the under side ot' the coiiin-lid, near the outer edge or margin thereof, we tix a thin tongue, 23. We groove the upper edge of the-sides A and ends of the case, and the tongue il is arranged on the lid so as to sit into one side of said groove. The latter is iilled with cement and has its bottonrcnrved, as shown in the drawings, so that the pressing ot' the tongue into the groove will have the eiect ot' forcing' out part of the cement and throw it up on the surface of the edge of the sides A. The cement thus fills the seam at the junction of the lid with the sides completel y. \Yhen screws are used to fasten on the lid, they should pass down on the outside of the tongue 3 into and through the cement.

\Ve sometimes coat the sections of Wood before framing up the coffin, using for that purpose the aforesaid or any other preservative liquid or compound. In some eases We insert strips of india-rubber in the recesses around the seams. The india-rubber may be cut from the sheet or may be in the form of cord or tubing, and is embedded in the cement with which the recess is iilled.

For the purpose of more perfectly securing the lid to the body or case, We make use of angular plates 5. (Shown in Figs. l and 4.) Theseare screwed fast to the lid, and, reaching down the sides, are secured thereon in a similar manner or otherwise. These plates embrace the corners closely and serve the purpose, in connection with the braces D and E and knees l, of bracing and strengthening the case.

In handling coffins it sometimes happens that the Weight of their contents causes the fastening of the handles to give Way. To

prevent this We secure the handles by bolting or screwing them fast to one of the inside braces, as seen in Fig. 4. In such cases the said braces are arranged so as to accommodate the required position of the handles.

7e generally make the braces of metal.

We make use of any liquid or compound of a preservative nature as a means of coating the Wood and holding the outer coating or granular material, using varnish, oil paint, or any other adapted to the purpose.

Having thus described our improved coffin, what We claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Pat-ent, is-

The improved coin, substantially as herein described,"as a new article of manufacture.

WM. J. LYMAN. ALFRED E. LYMAN.

\Vit1iesses: i

E. FERRY, XVM. H. AVERY. 

